Alberta highway crash leaves 5 dead & young boy in hospital
Alberta highway crash leaves 5 dead & young boy in hospital
Several communities in Northern Alberta are in shock after a fatal car crash left five people dead and a five–year–old boy in serious condition. At around 7 pm on Sunday, RCMP from three detachments responded to a head–on collision between a pickup truck and a minivan on Highway 750, near Utikuma Lake, which is about 100 kilometres northwest of Slave Lake.
The two adults in the pickup truck, aged 30 and 36, were immediately pronounced dead at the scene, and the three occupants of the minivan, two women aged 65 and 51, and an 11–year–old boy, were also killed. The sole survivor was the five–year–old boy who was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital.
Five people died Sunday following a crash on Highway 750, three of which were from Whitefish Lake First Nation.
The victims from the minivan were all from Whitefish Lake First Nation, a community that had already been mourning the death of a five–year–old boy who had been mauled by his family‘s dogs earlier that month. Chief Albert Thunder said the tragedy is beyond comprehension. “We didn‘t even do the funeral for the five–year–old boy that passed away from before. We didn‘t even bury him yet,” he said. “The closure hasn‘t even started on that part, and then all of a sudden this tragedy happens.” He added that the two children in the van were brothers and that one of the women in the vehicle was related to them.
The woman in the pickup truck was a resident of Slave Lake, while the man was from Loon Lake, a community in Loon River First Nation, and one of the victims was connected to Peerless Trout First Nation. All the affected communities are members of the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council.
Case under investigation
According to RCMP, an initial investigation suggests that the pickup truck was driving north in a southbound lane of Highway 750, and it crashed head–on into the southbound minivan. Cpl. Troy Savinkoff added that signs of alcohol consumption were found in the pickup truck, but it is too early to say if this was a factor in the crash. Chief Albert Thunder advised against speculating about what happened until police release a final report.
Whitefish Lake First Nation School will be closed for the entire week and a crisis response team has been set up to help the community cope with their loss. Chief Thunder called for prayer and said, “The community is devastated right now and we need all the prayer we can get.”